The first-ever Senate resolution recognizing the contributions of the Israeli-American community was introduced on Thursday by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Senate Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations.
The Israeli-American population, which is estimated to be more than 800,000 people, is a “vibrant immigrant community whose values prompt them to contribute heavily to the welfare and diversity of the United States,” according to the resolution text.
The resolution recognizes the many contributions of Israeli-Americans to American life and honors Israeli-American culture and heritage as helping strengthen the bonds between the United States and Israel.
Specifically, the resolution cites the Israeli-American impact on health sciences, pharmaceutics, disaster relief, astrophysics, mathematics, chemistry, aerospace engineering, biotech, agriculture, and Internet technologies.
Additionally, the resolution applauds Israeli-Americans and Jews for advancing civil rights, equal protection and justice for all, particularly the most vulnerable.
![American and Israeli Jews [Illustrative] (credit: REUTERS)](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/t_JD_ArticleMainImageFaceDetect/433149 "American and Israeli Jews [Illustrative] (credit: REUTERS)")
The resolution also condemns all forms of antisemitism, discrimination, and violence "aimed to marginalize or disenfranchise members of the Israeli-American community, the Jewish community broadly and individuals of Israeli or Jewish origin." In addition, the resolution condemned antisemitism that may "infringe upon the ability of Israeli Americans and other individuals to celebrate Israeli-American heritage and a deep connection to Israel."
The Israeli American Council (IAC) commended the senators for their leadership and thanked them for working on the resolution with IAC’s legislative and policy-making arm, the Israeli-American Coalition for Action (IAC For Action).
“We are proud that our community and institutions have matured to the point that the Israeli-American story and our contributions to America are worthy of such acknowledgment,” said the IAC.
“This resolution comes at a crucial time for the Israeli-American and pro-Israel community who are unjustly being targeted at record levels based on national origin bias. With the rise of antisemitism and national-origin discrimination against Israeli-Americans, now is the time for leaders to stand up with a voice of moral clarity, and we are grateful that Senators Jackie Rosen and Tim Scott are doing so.”
While honoring Israeli-Americans, Scott and Rosen also condemned incidents of antisemitism with assaults and bullying targeting American Jews and Israeli-Americans, especially younger people in grade schools and on college campuses.
“As the third Jewish woman to ever serve in the US Senate, I’m proud to help introduce this resolution to honor the culture, heritage, and legacy of Israeli-Americans," Rosen said. "At a time of rising antisemitism that impacts Israeli-Americans, this resolution recognizes their contributions to the United States and condemns all forms of hate and discrimination,” Rosen added.
“It particularly pains me to see the Jewish community, and in particular the Israeli-American subset, targeted with national origin discrimination by the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) hate movement, said Scott. "This hate and bias has no place in the United States of America,” Scott concluded.